


A Mother's Desperation

by 17daysgreys



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Murder, Pregnancy, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-26 06:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20737490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/17daysgreys/pseuds/17daysgreys
Summary: After an assassination attempt killed her husband and forced Arya to come back to Westeros, will she be able to right her wrongs and protect her family again?





	1. Back Home

She was lucky enough to have a window seat, gazing out she saw the familiar skyline of King’s Landing. It’d been five years since she’d been home, fleeing only days after her high school graduation for Braavos. She had curated a life there and it had been ripped from her, viciously. Forced to come home, she reluctantly cursed the pilot as he told them to buckle their seatbelts in preparation for the decent.

“Welcome to King’s Landing,” he said over the PA, “It’s 8:58 local time, 65 degrees, we’ll be arriving at gate 38A. Please remain seated until the seatbelt sign turns off and we’re safely at the gate. Thank you for a pleasant flight and please choose Braavosi Air for all of your air travel needs.”

Arya groaned, but what more could she do. She was home, well as close to home as she could be given her parents had moved to King’s Landing full time once Rickon started school. She had attended an all girl’s prepatory school, which was more like a boarding school with Sansa who was only one year older. Her parents had chosen to live in Winterfell with the boys, with Ned coming to visit about once a month to fulfill his governmental duties to Robert. She still remembers the argument she had with her mother over not being able to stay in Winterfell, because apparently she was being ungrateful for the once in a lifetime opportunity that Uncle Robert was offering her.

Once she was at the baggage carousel, she searched for her small rucksack. She hadn’t traveled with much, too much of it had painful memories for her. She kept the sweatshirt she was wearing, it still smelled like him, and of course their photos which were hidden away in the small carry-on bag she had. She twirled the charms on her necklace over and over, bracing herself for the long-awaited family reunion.

“Arya,” a rough voice coughed.

She turned around and saw her older brother, Jon. His hair was longer than she remembered, tied in a half bun, and his beard was existent, neatly trimmed and dark.

“Hi big brother,” she smiled sadly.

His eyes lit up as he hugged her fiercely.

“Let me get a good look at you,” he smiled.

He eyed his little sister up and down, “Your hair is shorter,” he commented noticing how it only grazed her collar bones now, “Mom’s gonna kill you.”

Arya rolled her eyes thinking about her mother Catelyn, who technically was Jon’s aunt, but since his mother, her Aunt Lyanna died when Jon was really young he’s always called her mom.

“Don’t you worry,” she laughed, “I’ll handle mom.”

He grabbed her suitcase a bit surprised at how light it was, “Five whole years and this is all you’ve come back with?”

She sighed and refused to meet his gaze, she knew he’d be looking at her with his big doe-eyed grey eyes trying not to act like a concerned big brother, but she couldn’t not yet.

“Not much worth bringing back.”

“If you say so. Here I parked over there.”

She was nervous, to say the least about going home. Her parents had decided to move into a new high-rise Condo, close to the one her father had rented while he was traveling between Winterfell and King’s Landing, but she hadn’t seen it. She only told them she was coming home a couple of weeks ago, right when she got out of the hospital.

Jon opened the door with his key and to her surprise her entire family was there. Her parents, Robb and his wife Margaery, Sansa and Theon, Bran, and little Rickon too.

“Little wolf,” Theon yelled as he crushed her with a hug.

“Hi,” she answered meekly.

“Get off my daughter Theon,” Catelyn japed, “Come on, let me look at you.”

Catelyn studied her daughter of course she noticed the change in her hair and how her clothes actually looked like she bought them in the women’s section rather than the little boy’s section, but there was a glassiness in her daughter’s eyes that she’d never seen before. Arya’s sweatshirt was engulfing her frame a bit, but her tight jeans and boots were impressive enough. She couldn’t help but smell a strong musk scent as she hugged her daughter.

“It’s so good to have you home,” she said into her daughter’s ear.

“It’s good to be home,” a broken Arya responded.

The glassiness of her eyes did not go unnoticed by her mother.

“Jon would you take her bags to her room?” Ned asked.

“Sure.”

The family then gathered in the living room, where Sansa had laid out an elaborate display of cheese, crackers, and wine. Arya declined the wine, but enjoyed a few grapes. The TV was on, playing quietly in the background.

“Breaking News,” a reporter began, “Aegon Targaryen, Prince of Valyria, was found dead two weeks ago in Braavos.”

“Oh my,” Sansa said, “Arya did you hear anything about that?”

She twiddled with her necklace a bit, slightly distracted.

“Arya?” Robb asked, “You were living there, did you hear about this?”

“Oh, um,” she hesitated, “No, I didn’t.”

Jon knew there was something off about his sister. The way she held her arms close to her chest, how she fiddled with her necklace more than she focused on her plate of food, and how she managed to remain secluded from all of them, even though she was in the center of the room.

“He was found stabbed multiple times in his Braavosi apartment. The Royal Family fears this was an assassination on the Prince and his wife, who has been reported missing. Unfortunately, her whereabouts are unknown at this time.”

“I didn’t know he was married,” Sansa added.

“Some people like to keep things private,” Ned added, eyeing Arya just a bit as he muted the TV. 

“If you guys don’t mind, I’m really tired,” Arya sighed, “I’d like to get to bed.”

“Sure sweetheart,” Ned smiled, “Your room is the last door on the left.”

As she opened the door she was bombarded by her past life. Photos of her and Gendry and Hot Pie laughing in Flea Bottom, her and Jon rock-climbing, Sansa and her getting ready for prom, which she begrudengly attended for Gendry. She took off her sweatshirt and looked down at her distended abdomen.

“Ziry would emagon jorrāelatan ao, ñuha dōna (He would have loved you, my sweet), ” she sadly sighed.

She looked at her rings, in the mirror as she brushed through her hair.

She curled into bed, letting her tears drift her to sleep.

Five years ago, Arya Stark had made the, albeit, impulsive decision to move to Braavos. She’d argue it was because her fencing coach got her into the top university in Essos or because she wanted to travel and see more of the world. But really she wanted to escape her best friend Gendry Waters. She had known him for years and had, to her dismay, developed a tiny crush on him. It was so tiny that she could hardly look him in the eye, her hands got embarrassingly clammy when he came around their house to see her brothers, and she could only form half coherent sentences. It was bad. So bad that when she thought the two of them were about to make some progress, he had shown up with Jeyne Heddle to a family dinner a month before her university decisions were due.

“Hey,” a voice called from behind her, “I think I grabbed your order instead.” He handed her a cup of black coffee.

“Oh,” she smiled at the blue-haired boy, “That’s okay. I must have yours. Thought it tasted a bit too sweet.”

“Griff,” he introduced himself as he looked at her cup he said, “And I’m assuming you’re Arya.”

“Guilty.”

And thus, started hers and Griff’s five year, whirlwind romance. She discovered he was an Essoi prince soon after their first meeting, but she cared little about it. She dyed her hair pink and cut it to her shoulders so she could have some anonymity, much to his pleasure. They had fun traveling Essos and just behaving like carefree college kids. He proposed in Valyria about three years into dating and the two of them got married in a quiet ceremony at the Temple of Black and White a year later. She was happy, truly happy, until the fateful night when a crazed stalker of his broke into their home and stabbed Griff ten times. The girl also found Arya and stabbed her three times in the abdomen. She pretended to be dead while the girl fled in the middle of the night.

As soon as it was safe, she called Griff’s aunt, Dany, who rushed her to the hospital. Arya barely made it out alive, but was left with a dead husband and a baby who she couldn’t take care of.

“Arya,” Rhaegar comforted her by her bedside, “I think it’s time you went home, alone.”

“But,” she started to argue.

“He would have wanted you safe,” he cut her off, “And you’re not safe here. Someone wanted to hurt the both of you and until we figure that out you need to go back to Westeros where I know you’ll be safe. Please.”

She had never seen Rhaegar beg for anything in his life, so she reluctantly texted her brother Jon that she’d be coming home after five long years. She dyed her pink hair back to her usual mousey brown and as soon as she was discharged took a flight back to King’s Landing, leaving her few week old daughter with Daenerys praying that she’d be able to keep her safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Six weeks, that’s how long it’d been since she and her husband were attacked, stabbed, viciously in their own home. Her best friend is gone because of some lunatic stalker who wanted to be with him, who was obsessed with the idea of being royal and the fame that came with it. The fame she wouldn’t like to touch with a ten foot pole. She knew they should have been more secretive, more careful, especially with her pregnancy. They had been inconspicuous, him with his blue hair, her with her pink, not once going to a royal event. In a way, that had made them all the more enticing.

The moon hung high in the sky as she couldn’t keep her family from her mind. Would her little girl ever get to know her? The fear radiated through her veins. Did she have her grey eyes or his amethyst ones? Her phone started to buzz loudly on her nightstand, so she quickly answered it.

“Hello,” she groggily said, knowing it was Dany on the other line.

“They got her,” Dany began, “They got the psychopath who was stalking the two of you. Apparently she was in love with Aegon for years and when she found out about you, she just broke.” Arya listened intently, “I know it’s the middle of the night for you, but Aly and I are landing in Winterfell in an hour. Rhaegar got us an emergency flight as soon as they arrested her— you’ll have to go back to Essos for the trial, but for now, Alyssane is in my lap and we’re about to get on our connecting flight from Moat Cailin to Winterfell.”

Arya bolted out of bed, put on a large cardigan, not even bothering to put on proper shoes, instead rushing out of her room and down the stairs in her slippers.

“I’m on my way, Dany,” she said.

She ran like a bat out of hell, not noticing the tall, imposing figure she ran into. She assumed it was one of her brothers, they tended to stay at their parent’s place more than she had anticipated.

“Sorry,” she mumbled,” quickly grabbing her keys and dashing out in the middle of the night.

She hadn’t noticed him, but he couldn’t have forgotten a face like that, even if his life depended on it. Gendry Waters was at the Stark residence, crashing with Jon and Robb after they’d gotten a bit too drunk at the Peach and the Stark house was much closer than either of their dinky apartments.

Neither brother had even mentioned Arya was home. She had been his best friend, but things got complicated when he got older and started to feel things for his best friend. So, he idiotically pushed her away. He started dating Jeyne Heddle, a girl Arya actually got along with, but he threw it in her face, constantly mentioning her in front of Arya for no reason. He knew he was making her jealous, but he didn’t, no he couldn’t explain why he did it.

He wasn’t a good friend to her, so he wasn’t surprised when it was Jon who told him she’d moved to Braavos for school. But he was surprised at the woman with shoulder length hair, dressed in a sports bra, slippers and pj shorts dashing out the door like a mad woman. He had caught a good glimpse of her, the most peculiar thing of all was the scars lining her abdomen and the terror that seared through her eyes. He’d always known her as fearless, fearless little Arya Stark who’d gut you within an inch of your life without question. Who was this person?

“Oi,” he shouted waking Robb and Jon up from their drunken stooper.

“Gendry, what the fuck?” Robb asked, “What time is it even?”

“Time for you to tell me why you didn’t tell me Arya was home. How long has it even been?” He was trying to keep his fury at bay, but his eyes were inflamed with rage.

“You saw Arya?” Jon sat up.

“Yes,” he scowled, “Ran out of the house not five minutes ago.”

“We have to follow her, maybe we’ll be able to figure out what’s going on,” Robb insisted.

“Do you have a tracking device on the car?” Gendry quipped.

Jon and Robb exchanged shameful glances.

“By the sevens, you do!” He ran his hands through his dark hair in disbelief.

“In our defense, we installed it when we were eighteen and Sansa was dating Joffrey. It was never meant for Arya,” Jon defended.

“Yeah,” Robb agreed, “Arya always dated nice guys, never had to rough ‘em up.”

This was the first time Gendry had heard about Arya dating anyone, he knew they didn’t talk much once she got into high school, but he still felt jealous just hearing that someone else had the opportunity to call her theirs.

“Whatever,” Gendry sighed, “I’ll drive your sorry drunk asses to wherever your sister went, you better pray she’s safe.”

The boys piled into Robb’s car as he pulled up the tracking app, “It says she’s headed south, towards the airport.”

Gendry didn’t wait for further instructions, he put the car in drive and sped out of the garage.

The roads were clear, but Arya’s hands were shaking, she was minutes away from reuniting with her daughter and she could not be more grateful. She had called Rhaegar from the car and he told her she was safe and that Aly should be safe in Westeros with her for now. But, much to Arya’s chagrin, her daughter was still a Targaryen princess and there were duties and obligations she would need to fulfill regardless of how much Arya and Aegon were against them. She didn’t even care to argue with her father-in-law, she just wanted to see her daughter.

Dany had texted her to meet her in terminal 2 parking, by baggage claim fourteen. Jon, Robb, and Gendry were a few cars behind, Gendry reached awkwardly from the driver’s side window to get a ticket to pay for parking.

“Who could she possibly be meeting here?” Jon wondered out loud.

Then Arya got out of her car, locking it behind her as she stood against the driver’s side door facing the door to the airport. She wrapper her cardigan around herself as another woman approached her. Jon was entranced, he’d never seen such ethereal beauty before as he saw the woman with purple eyes and silver hair hug is younger sister fiercely. She almost looked Targaryen, but that’d be crazy. Arya wouldn’t be involved with the Essoi royal family, would she? He started for a few moments before he noticed the child carrier in the woman’s right hand and then her handing a baby to Arya, placing it gently in Arya’s arms. Never in his life had he seen his sister more relieved or at peace.

Jon, Gendry, and Robb watched from a few parking spots away as the blonde woman put a car seat into Arya’s car while she cuddled the baby, tears streaming down her face. The garage was silent as the boys listened intently, they heard the sound of Arya singing.

_High in the [halls](https://www.definitions.net/definition/halls) of the [kings](https://www.definitions.net/definition/kings) who are gone_

_Jenny [would](https://www.definitions.net/definition/would) dance with her ghosts_

_The ones she had lost and the ones she had [found](https://www.definitions.net/definition/found)_

_and the ones who had [loved](https://www.definitions.net/definition/loved) her the most_

_The ones who’d been gone for so very long_

_She couldn’t [remember](https://www.definitions.net/definition/remember) their names_

_They spun her [around](https://www.definitions.net/definition/around) on the damp cold stone_

_Spun away her [sorrow](https://www.definitions.net/definition/sorrow) and pain_

_And she [never](https://www.definitions.net/definition/never) wanted to leave_

_Never [wanted](https://www.definitions.net/definition/wanted) to leave_

_Never [wanted](https://www.definitions.net/definition/wanted) to leave_

_Never [wanted](https://www.definitions.net/definition/wanted) to leave_

Her voice was soft and blissful. The baby reached for something around her neck and then he saw it, a beautiful diamond ring fit on a chain so it rested close to her heart. He saw his little sister beam as she cooed at the baby grabbing the necklace, a look of pride streaming on her face.

Gendry didn’t know what to do with what he was witnessing. Arya Stark, a woman he hadn’t seen in years, a woman he was pretty sure he’d been in love with all his life, had a baby.

“We should go,” he began to suggest as Robb Stark opened the passenger door and walked towards his sister.

“Robb, no,” Jon whisper shouted, but it was too late.

She turned around, hiding her baby in the process, a primal fear coming over her, “Robb, please don’t hurt her,” she begged as her brother was within arms distance of her. Instead, he enveloped her into a hug, brushing away tears with his thumb.

“It’s okay, little wolf, you’re safe now. You’re both safe now.” She just sobbed into his chest refusing to let go.

“Come on, I’ll sit with you while your friend drives us home.”

“I’m Robb Stark,” he introduced himself.

“Daenerys Targaryen.” His shock was evident and as he turned around to motion to Jon and Gendry to leave, they’d already gone.

“Who’d you come with?” Arya asked as she buckled her seatbelt, after securing Aly’s.

“Jon and Gendry,” Robb answered, “Now come on, you have a lot of explaining to do and we only have a thirty-minute ride. For starters, what’s her name?”

“Alyssane,” Arya answered, as Daenerys pulled out of the airport and onto the freeway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya's family finds out some news.

Robb hadn’t paid attention to the drive, instead he focused on his little sister, who was seated in the back seat, diligently doting on her daughter. Her daughter. He’s still pinching himself with the realization that she had a child.

“Arya, love,” Daenerys interrupted, “We’re here,” she announced.

Robb noticed they were a bit outside of downtown King’s Landing, in a neighborhood called the Street of Steel, it was a very popular neighborhood for artists and hipsters alike. But a few streets, instead of being lined with skyscrapers like the rest of King’s Landing had a few streets lined with houses. They were millions of crowns and only the elite of the elite were allowed in the gated community that lied in the center of a bustling district.

The gates opened and Daenerys drove up the driveway of a small bungalow.

Dany pulled into the garage and then proceeded to help Arya get out of the car. Arya grabbed her keys from Dany and unlocked the back door of the house. Once inside, Robb was flabbergasted as Arya turned on the lights.

The home was decorated with an art-deco style, but it was littered with pictures of Arya and a man he recognized as Aegon Targaryen. Their engagement photoshoot, her baby photos, her in Essos with friends that he’d never seen. Arya had an entire life without him and their family.

“She’s really tired,” Arya explained, “I’m going to put her to bed.”

“Here, I’ll help,” Robb offered.

“No, it’s okay,” she said quietly, “I just want to take her to her room and say goodnight, I’ll be out in a bit.”

Arya walked down the hall, with the sleeping baby in her arms, Robb could hear her mutter softly to her and wished that somehow he’d be able to alleviate her pain. He felt weak as her big brother. He knew exactly what had happened to Aegon Targaryen, his senseless murder was all over the news a few weeks ago. He didn’t pay much attention to gossip magazines or celebrity articles, but now as he thought back, the girl he’d seen with Aegon although she had pink hair and normally wore sunglasses, she did look eerily like Arya.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Daenerys interrupted his thoughts.

“What?” He asked.

“This,” she explained, “Your little sister being married, having a daughter, her home, everything. She’s a princess technically.”

“I-,” he hesitated, “I didn’t really think about that.”

“Trust me,” Daenerys said, “Neither did she.”

“What do you mean?”

“She fought it tooth and nail,” Dany laughed, “She met Aegon on a whim when he had escaped security and went to a campus dive bar. She had no idea who he was and then something just clicked with them. I don’t know how to explain it. My brother, Rhaegar, he had huge plans for Aegon, but when he met your sister,” Dany hesitated, “It was like a light was lifted. She became family to us.”

Robb had tears in his eyes, but he allowed Daenerys to keep talking.

“I’m sorry,” she explained, “I’m really sorry we kept her from you for so long. We loved her, we still love her and we want to help her. I don’t think we’ll ever get over Aegon’s passing, and we shouldn’t. But I don’t know why I’m telling you any of this- it’s probably not my place. But she loved him, she loved him with everything she had, but it still pained her not to be with you all.”

“Why didn’t she, then? She clearly has a home in Westeros. She could have come back.”

“I didn’t know how,” Arya interrupted them.

“Arya,” Robb said embarrassed.

“Don’t,” she held her hand up, “It’s okay. I know what I did. And I don’t know how I can explain how sorry I am for it.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

“You don’t need to say that just because my husband died, Robb. I fucked up, I know I did.”

“Yeah,” he admitted, standing up and pulling his sister into a hug, “But we all have.”

“Thank you,” she said, with tears in her eyes, as she breathed in her brother’s musky scent.

“Did you get my niece down alright?”

“Aly’s just like her father,” Arya smiled, “Crashes as soon as she hits the pillow.”

Suddenly the doorbell rang, causing Arya to jump.

“Who could that be,” Dany asked.

Robb looked a bit embarrassed, “Jon and I may still have the app Bran developed on our phones.”

“You followed me?”

Shamefully Robb answered, “Yes.”

Arya looked furious, but she honestly didn’t have time to yell at her older brother as the doorbell rang a second time. She answered the door only to see her parents, Jon, and Gendry for some odd reason. Why was he here.

Catelyn burst in the door, “Why on earth did you brothers wake me up in the middle of the night, where are we, what is going on Arya?”

Ned put his hand on his wife’s shoulder, “Cat, calm down.”

“No,” she yelled frustrated, “I will not calm down, it’s three in the morning, I should be asleep, in bed, and I’m here in this random part of town where apparently my daughter lives according to security. I was told that Her Royal Highness hasn’t been home in months, and you expect me to be calm?”

Arya let her family in, their wide eyes at the photos and décor did not go unnoticed.

“Arya,” Ned said, “Is that- is that you?” He pointed to a photo of her with Aegon holding one of their sonograms.

“Yes.”

Her parents looked shocked.

“You can, follow me,” she said, leaving her brothers, Dany, and Gendry in the living room.

Arya led her parents to Alysanne’s nursery and quietly opened the door, but before she did she turned to them and said.

“I’m sorry for this, I know I should have told you but I don’t know why, something in my couldn’t. While I was in Essos, I met someone and we fell in love and he’s not here anymore,” she refused to shed anymore tears over the matter, Aegon wouldn’t have wanted it, “But we had a daughter and her name is Alysanne. I had to leave her, for her safety and mine, Dany just brought her to Westeros a few hours ago. She’s three months old.”

Her parents engulfed her in a hug.

“My poor, sweet daughter,” Catelyn cried, “I knew. I knew something was wrong. I could tell.”

“Aye,” Ned agreed, “My little wolf seemed so empty.”

“Do you want to see her?”

“More than anything in the world,” her parents agreed.

Arya quietly opened the door and led her parent’s to her sleeping daughter’s crib. Ned and Cat took in their granddaughter, her head had tuffs of blonde hair, she had Arya’s lips and nose, but they couldn’t tell whose eyes she had.

“They’re grey,” Arya announced proudly.

“She looks fierce,” Ned smiled.

“She is,” Arya said, “She’s a survivor.”

“Like her mother,” Catelyn placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead.

Arya and her parents made their way back to her living room a few moments later.

“You all can make yourself comfortable, but I’m going to head to bed,” she explained, but on her way to her room she crashed into an overbearing figure.

“Woah,” she heard a voice say, it was quite familiar, “You’re getting into the habit of crashing into me.”

“Gendry?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you in my house?”

“Jon and Robb wanted to come, I came along for the ride, figured I’d try to see what a gated community house looked like. It’s very nice, your royal highness.”

“Shut up,” she scowled, “I’m not that and you know it.”

“But you are, aren’t you?”

“I- I,” she stuttered.

“I’m sorry, I’ll just leave. Clearly I’m not welcomed.”

“Fuck you,” she said lowly under her breath.

“Excuse me?” He turned around.

“You heard me.” The words felt like venom from her lips.

“I honestly don’t think I did.”

She stepped closer to him, “Fuck,” she then proceeded to poke his chest, “You.”

“Is that a threat?” He stepped in closer.

“You only wish, Baratheon, but you know, I bet Jeyne will keep your bed warm.”

He inhaled deeply, remembering Jeyne and how she had affected their relationship, he didn’t realize that Arya was still holding this close to her chest.

“Arry,” he said softly, “What happened?”

“To us? Or to me?” She asked.

“To everything?”

“The world is cruel, Gendry. It takes and it takes and what do you have to show for it?”

“You have a daughter, that has to be worth something.”

“I guess I do,” she admitted, “But she’ll never have her father and I don’t know how I’ll ever tell her about him.”

“She’ll have a dad though,” he assured.

“What?”

“You have a family, Arya,” he rubbed his hands through his hair, “We haven’t been close- not in a long time- but I still care about you, and I’ll care about your daughter, but you have Robb and Bran and Jon and Rickon and your father- she’ll never be short of male guidance in her life. I’m really sorry, Arya,” his voice was genuine, “You don’t deserve whatever it is you’re going through.”

She stepped closer to him, “Thank you.”

He didn’t know what he was doing, but he engulfed her into a hug. Maybe one day, he’d get the confidence to tell her exactly how he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter coming in 1 week. What do you want to see?


End file.
